Anna
by rancoroftheheart
Summary: Anna murdered Rachel and her father let her be taken back to the mental hospital. Hopefully she can decide between what's real in her life and what's not.
1. Chapter 1

Anna stared out her window; she watched as people walked by and tended to their lives. She knew she would probably never leave this place. Apparently she had killed them; four of them and the last death was the end for her; but she knew that they really only knew about the one. But it was okay because she did what she was supposed to. She finished what she had started.

Yesterday she stayed in Mildred's room and listened to more stories, she marveled at how she had used Mildred's life and mixed it with Rachel's. Maybe that was an accident but it was real enough to Anna and what was done was done. Rachel deserved to die. If it hadn't been for her…her mother would be alive. Anna let out a small laugh. Of all the things that had surprised her while she was away was the fact that everyone thought Alex was dead. It made no sense; just because they didn't get to see each other often and because her father had hidden their letters-it didn't mean Alex was gone. Yesterday Alex came to visit- she did- she really came. So she couldn't have died in the explosion right? They spoke and walked around the courtyard. She had told her that it would be a while until she'd be able to come and visit. Because while she was away she would get better quicker.

When Anna would have sessions with Doctor Silberling he would ask her how she felt and about her sister's death and ask her why she killed Rachel. She'd laugh on the inside and wondered how much longer she'd have to play their games so that she could leave again. She'd always answer that she was afraid about what happened with Rachel and that she missed Alex greatly. Doctor Silberling would write on some papers and ask her more questions then she could go outside again. This continued and for a year it was all the same to her. She would work hard to leave, to live a normal life and to forget about everything that has happened. She would go off and live with Alex. They would travel, and catch up. But until then she would answer the questions and continue to play their games.

She sat on a concrete bench under a large oak tree; her hand was covered in black coal. The picture in her sketch pad was a mystery to everyone but her. Other pages were filled with faces, objects, and scenes from books she read. She was excited about tomorrow; for the first time since she came back she would be aloud to leave. It would only be for a couple hours, but to her a couple hours to leave and immerse herself into the population and feel like a human was all she wanted. Anna had already planned it out, she wanted to go to the city park and lay out across the grass. She'd play with any dogs that trotted by, she's take pictures of everything that fascinated her, and she'd draw until it was time for her to head back. If she was good and came back on time she'd be able to leave more and eventually have longer trips; of course she'd be heavily monitored but that was understandable she had after all killed someone.

Anna pulled back her dark brown hair into a loose ponytail. She rubbed her fingers together, smearing in the coal even further into the skin of her fingertips. The area around her became a few shades darker as the clouds above passed under the sun. The warm breezes caressed her and she smiled.

"Tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

Her small 8x9 room was cold, but she wanted it to stay that way. She had always welcomed the feeling even when she was younger. She could remember going up to the mountains with her family. Alex and Anna would usually pass the time building snowmen and having snowball fights. Alex would always get too cold and run inside. But Anna would sit in the snow and get comfortably numb until her mother or father would drag her inside.

Her blankets were crumpled across her bed. She sat on the cold grey floor of her dark room and stared down at her bare feet. She wiggled her toes and traced her scared wrists. She then changed her attention over to watch as shadows moved across the stretch of floor in front of her door. The light underneath was about a quarter of an inch, just enough for her to barely able to see the hall floor were the night shifts were getting everything ready for the day shifts coming in about two hours. She had the urge to open the door and wonder the hall but it wasn't aloud. Though she wouldn't get in the way, none of the permanent residents were aloud to leave their rooms at night unless it was a bathroom emergency and you were only given a few minutes to get back to your room.

Anna yawned and looked at the outfit she had set out to wear out today. It was just a simple pair of jeans and a light pink short sleeve top. Her white shoes were tucked away underneath her desk. She was so anxious to be able to leave the compound; it was making her feel sick; it had been for over a year now.

She got up from the floor and stretched; stifling back a large yawn. She curled up back onto her bed and turned on her mp3 player. She tapped to the beat of the songs and listened until light from her window filled her entire room. The light was faintly magnified by the white walls and ceiling. When she heard a knock at her door she got dressed applied some foundation and eyeliner. She combed her hair and ran her fingers through it. Her hair curled slightly at the ends. She grabbed a thin white jacket and her purse.

"Anna, are you excited?" Mildred was standing in her own door way with her hand inside her robe pocket; tenderly rubbing the strands of pearls that her thin hands always held onto. Her long, dark blonde hair was a matted mess on top of her head.

"Yes, I'm very excited."

"That's nice, take plenty of pictures." Mildred walked down the hall in a dazed like fashion and Anna shut her door and headed in the opposite direction. She walked down two flights of stairs and went to the front desk.

"Hello, Miss Ivers. Sign here and write the time here." The nurse handed her a pen and Anna wrote what she was instructed to. She was given a small phone. "It only allows you to call us and the police if something were to happen. You have two hours to spend, just sign in when you get back. Do not lose track of time and behave."

Anna nodded and set an alarm on the phone so that she'd know when she had thirty minutes to get back. She slid the phone into her purse, took a deep breathe and headed out the entrance.

She strode down the small flight of stone steps out front and took another deep breathe. She pulled out her camera. She didn't mind risking looking like a tourist when it had been so long since she had such freedom.

An older gentleman, an officer, pocketed his talkie and prepared to follow Ivers at a distance.


	3. Chapter 3

She slowly walked down the old cobble stone street. Both sides of the road were lined with beautiful, decades old magnolia trees. The limbs stretched out over the road to mingle with each other and filter the sun light that fell on the cars and people below.

Anna clutched onto her camera. She zoomed in on a large cat perched in a first floor, red bricked apartment window. The white of its fur contrasted the dark red nicely. She took pictures of the young girls in sun dresses drawing on the sidewalks with chalk and a couple pictures of an elderly couple holding hands walking back home after an early morning stroll.

A sigh of contentment escaped her rosy lips. After several minutes of walking she neared the park entrance. A dark, worn walkway led away from the one she was currently on. She passed the entrance that was surrounded by beds and beds of wild lilies. The lilies swayed when she passed as a light breeze made its way from around the trees. Anna walked out into the open green space of rolling green grassy hills with large trees dotting the surface to provide shade on sunny days. There were people running along walkways that were arranged in a maze like fashion everywhere, there were people sitting and talking, reading, and playing.

* * *

The officer picked a bench that had a view of pretty much the whole park. As many people passed him he kept his weather worn eyes on Anna and hoped that she wouldn't do anything that would cause him to introduce himself. He knew that once long enough has passed that she left without incident or worry from her doctors then he could write a report on her behavior and move on to get a better job; or at least his old job. He'd be able to be back on the streets; instead of watching out for the mentally unstable.

This is what happened when you get injured in law enforcement and refuse to do paper work…oh wait…this is just what happens when you piss off your boss and make enemies with other higher ups too. He pulled out his cell phone and when the ring tone started he continued to watch Anna.

* * *

Anna had her eyes affixed on a particular area of grass under an old oak tree. She had eyed it almost as soon as she had started walking inside the park itself. She had only looked away from the area two times. Once to pet a small Crocker Spaniel, and another to take a picture of a tiny boy being pulled around by a huge dog.

She set down her purse once she deemed the area perfect; she lay down across the grass. She enjoyed the shade and watched the clouds. Her eyes slowly slid shut and once she was awakened by the alarm on the phone she knew her day of fun was over but that she would get the chance again. Next time she'd bring along her art supplies. Once she got use to the routine she'd explore the town areas around the…estate.

There was nothing more that she longed for than to have a true friend.


End file.
